|
God will not accept any of my excuses for not acting godly. My paltry excuses--"I am only dust," "In me dwelleth no good thing," "He knoweth my frame"--are often only crutches to get me out of one scrape and ready for another. God wants me to stop acting like dust and flesh and start acting like Him.
How can I act like God? There are many ways, but here is one: "No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us" (1 John 4:12). This verse sweeps away all crutches! I act like God when I am filled with love toward others. This verse says that I can have the un speakable privilege of behaving like God, of showing others what God is like. That is not the privilege of angels or super saints, but of common clay like myself.
The greatest need of our day is for God to become visible. he is visible to a certain extent in nature, but nature never conveys God's love. And unless God's love is conveyed, His fulness is not conveyed. That is where you and I come in; we may show others a mini-glimpse of God's love.
My excuses are further destroyed when John says, "He has given us of His [own] Spirit" (1 John 4:13). That ends our camoflage! There is no use saying, "But I'm not a loving person, I'm not made that way!" We are made that way by the Holy Spirit who is in us by faith. he sheds "the love of God...abroad in our hearts" (Romans 5:5, KJV).
Lord, the world desperately needs a good look at You. Help them to get a glimpse of the lovely person You are by looking at me. And help me no longer to hide behind the mask of "it can't be done," for "I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13, NSRB).
"And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us" (1 John 3:23). *AMEN*
First Things First...SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON:
Haggai 1:1-4, 7-10, 12-15
GOLDEN TEXT - "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord" (Haggai 1:8).
PRACTICAL POINTS:
1. Delayed obedience to God is *disobedience* (Hag. 1:1-2).
2. Those who can never find time for God always find time for themselves (vss. 3-4).
3. Serving and obeying God requires great effort and sacrifice, but it always results in God's blessing (vss. 7-8).
4. We cannot expect God's blessing when we give Him our second best (vss. 9-10).
5. We will never obey the Lord until we revere Him for who He is (vs. 12).
6. When we obey God, He will provide the help and encouragement we need (vss. 13-15). *AMEN *To Obedience!!!
|
|
Lord, I've deposited your word in their hearts, I pray therefore that you will water it, for those who will receive it, so that it will grow into a plenteous harvest that will be spread abroad to feed and nourish multitudes of listener's. In jesus name I, and your creation pray. *AMEN*
|
